Haute-Garonne: “We have no tropical species in Toulouse”, assures Boris Presseq, specialist in urban ecology
Boris Presseq is a botanist at the Museum of Toulouse and a specialist in urban ecology. He also notes the appearance of exotic species in Toulouse and the surrounding area. He gives the reasons for their proliferation.
In Haute-Garonne, are tropical species designated?
There are no tropical species in the department. On the other hand, we have exotic species. These are all those who are not local and who come from elsewhere. For these, in the department, we identify a certain number of them, I am thinking in particular of the ring-necked parakeet, the snapping turtle, Florida or even the nutria.
How do you explain their presence, particularly in urban areas?
Global warming obviously plays a role. In reality, cities have become refuges for this type of species. It is often too cool for exotic species in rural areas so they migrate to cities. The other reason is the explosion in the number of pet stores in the 1990s where exotic animals like turtles were sold for a nominal fee. Humans also have a strong taste for these animals from elsewhere. Except that caring for a turtle, for example, which can live for several decades, can be tricky, so people end up releasing them into the wild. They then find a favorable context with high temperatures and frost-free winters to reproduce and settle permanently.
What about the Taranto of Mauretania?
It is naturally present around the Mediterranean as in Carcassonne. The regular exchanges between the coast and Toulouse favored its installation. It’s inexorable, the living has no borders and with global warming, it’s all the more true.
What are the consequences for local biodiversity?
It is difficult to measure the impact. What we know is that for the most part human activity in the city is favorable to them and that they benefit from a kind of ecological vacuum. Animals that are imported involuntarily such as certain scorpions or spiders do not settle permanently because of our climate.